Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise in this place to pay my respects and mark my condolences for those who have lost their homes and possessions and, in some very sad cases, have paid the ultimate sacrifice, leaving behind families, friends and loved ones. We are no strangers to bushfires in Australia. Every year we hold our breath, waiting for the best and preparing for the worst. Bushfires in this country aren't a matter of if, but of when and how bad. Every year I have friends from my home town of Albury who tell me they can't go on a summer holiday because they're worried about the risk of bushfires.

I'm proud of the Morrison Government's response, in an unprecedented way, to an unprecedented set of events. The ADF personnel have been working with state and territory authorities in response to Australia's bushfire crisis, and their support will continue for as long as it is needed. We welcome the rains that are due next week. The bushfire crisis remains the ADF's primary focus. Around 6,500 ADF personnel are supporting Operation Bushfire Assist. This includes 3,000 reservists. They will continue to support Australians and their community for as long as needed.

Recently, I was privileged to be asked to go to Wangaratta to watch the first in-kind AusMAT deployment. Many Australians don't know about AusMAT; it's the Australian Medical Assistance Team. It is an emergency team that is on call to be deployed in times of crisis. They have, over many years now—10 years—been deployed around the Pacific for emergencies. They've been to all sorts of countries in the Pacific to help at times of emergency there. The Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, has deployed AusMAT in Australia for the first time. They were deployed during the bushfire season that we are experiencing. I was very pleased to go to Wangaratta to see the wonderful work the AusMAT team are doing. They're a multidisciplinary team, incorporating doctors, nurses, paramedics, firefighters, logisticians and allied health staff, such as environmental health staff, radiographers and pharmacists. They have been such an important addition in this time of crisis. Often these small rural communities don't have redundancy in their staffing systems, so to have the extra personnel to help with healthcare support and logistics was very much appreciated by the communities I visited.

The government's reaction and assistance have also included $40 million to the Salvation Army and St Vincent de Paul. Eligible adults will receive $1,000 and $400 for dependent children. The Australian, state and territory governments are providing recovery grants of up to $50,000 to eligible small businesses and non-profit organisations which have suffered direct damage to their premises or equipment from the bushfires and which intend to re-establish their community. Having seen my in-laws go through the experience of Black Saturday—they have a property in Buxton—and watched the 10-year period of rebuilding that was very long and hard fought, I can see that it is going to be a long rebuild. And it is very important that, as a government, we're there supporting these communities and wrapping around the necessary services. It's incredibly important that a significant commitment has been given to mental health and the support of these families as they're going through what can only be described as a horror period of time.

I'd also like to congratulate the ABC. On my trip to Wangaratta, there were regular updates on ABC radio, and, having spoken to people in some of these rural and remote communities, I know how important it is that they have this service available to them, so they can get out when necessary. In fact, my aunty and uncle who live in Beechworth were asked to evacuate from Beechworth, and they came and stayed at my house in the city. They were lucky that they had somewhere they could go; in the meantime, many community families had to go to other premises. A significant number of opportunities were provided by our government and by the state and territory governments, and I congratulate them for that.

Bushfires have always been part of the Australian landscape. The effects of climate change have been seen in hotter summers and drier winters. These have resulted in longer droughts and flash flooding when it does rain. We need to learn from this fire season and work to implement practices not only to mitigate the immediate danger of the next fire season but to address the overall global changes with a strong response on climate action. We need practical action in mitigation through reduced emissions, and this needs to go hand in hand with practical action on climate resilience and adaptation. We believe technology is the answer to ensuring that we have a strong and comprehensive action on climate change.

I join with those opposite and those on the crossbench to thank everyone involved in fighting the fires and in the recovery effort. From the bottom of my heart, on behalf of the people of Higgins, thank you. I'd like to give a shout-out to the people of Higgins. Not only have they given of their concern, but they've dug deep and made many donations to the bushfires effort. I congratulate each and every one of those constituents for the fine work they've done. They've spoken to me, they've reached out to me, and they've been concerned. They've donated goods, they've donated financially, and they've donated their time. I know many of them have been up to the communities to volunteer and help support those communities. I give a special shout-out to Emmy Monash, the aged-care facility where I went for a day. We had 500 volunteers there all packing bags, not just for the ADF and the volunteers but also for the local communities, with practical things that are needed on the ground. I know there are many community groups in Higgins, and I'd like to personally thank each and every one of them.

It's been a very fraught summer, and I think we have many lessons to learn. I look forward to being part of a proportionate and responsible response, so that this never happens again.

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